The invention relates to automatic spool-changing arrangements or systems for textile machines, particularly machines of this type with a plurality of winding devices or winding heads which are disposed in horizontal array along the front of the machine and serve to wind a multifilament synthetic yarn which is continuously fed to the winding device at a constant high velocity. Typically each of these winding devices has, in a corresponding spool-changing position, a spool holder journaled in the machine, with the axis of the spool-holder projecting from the machine front.
Automatic spool-changing arrangements of the kind just mentioned are known in many forms of implementation. They serve to take the fully wound spools or bobbins (finished bobbins) from their spool holder, for example a chuck, and to lay them on a conveying arrangement (for example a spool carriage or a revolving conveyor). The automatic spool-changing system may also be arranged to effect the conveying of the tubes (empty tubes) from a tube storage location (for example a tube magazine, tube transport carriage or a revolving conveyor) to the spool holder and the placing of the empty tubes on the spool holder, for instance, by sliding the empty tubes onto a chuck.
Many of these implementations suffer from the disadvantage that the design of the textile machine and of its spool-changing system are not optimally harmonized with each other. The imperfect adaptation of the spool-changing system to the design of the textile machine and vice versa results in a construction of the spool-changing apparatus which is kinematically complicated and costly. As a consequence, the functional capability, the operational safety and thus the possibilities for an economic utilization of the spool-changing apparatus are limited.